Faculty, students’ hard work yields big return for CSU budget

August 15, 2018

This summer was packed full of news, and among the big stories in public higher education was the decision by Gov. Jerry Brown and lawmakers to include more state funding for the CSU.

Funding for our university system included an additional $364 million as part of the state’s 2018-19 fiscal budget. The improved funding is a victory for CFA, which along with Students for Quality Education, led efforts to ensure that legislators and Gov. Brown understood the critical need in the People’s University for increased funding after years of state disinvestment.

The budget augmentation, signed into law on June 27, far exceeded the CSU administration’s original request of $263 million in additional funding. The $364 million in additional one-time and ongoing funding will result in enrollment growth to accommodate 3,641 additional full-time-equivalent students and will support that cohort for four years. The increased funding also includes $25 million in dedicated funding for tenure-track hiring with legislative oversight—earmarked funding for which CFA alone advocated.

“This was, and continues to be, a huge win for our students, as well as for the faculty,” said Rafael Gómez, CFA’s Associate Vice President North and a CSU Monterey Bay Professor. “It increases access to the CSU for students, and begins reinvestment in our university system, which for years had received decreased funding as our student population grew increasingly more diverse. This begins to correct the racial injustice plaguing our university funding stream, and we will be vigilant in our efforts to ensure it continues.”

As we move toward the next budget cycle and the November election, CFA will be asking faculty to volunteer to help elect state officials who value public higher education and the CSU.